Given that a picture can be worth a thousand words and that saxophonist Sebastian Gille only uses one to define this album, the album artwork may be the better descriptor here. The icy peaks that adorn the cover of Anthem can be seen as a visual representation of the wide open vistas that Gille explores and creates. He paints slow snow drifts and rides through exhilarating gusts of wind balancing beauty and danger, a sense of uncertainty holding them both at check.

Gilles' greatest gift is his ability to create intense environments and thought-provoking strains without the heavy blowing histrionics or athletic feats that often accompany such work. He brings a measured sense of sound to the party and displays a remarkable sense of pacing and patience as he lets the music unfold. This may be the first album under his own name, but he's no rookie. Extensive training and lots of on-the-bandstand work have given the young saxophonist a sense of self-assurance that can't be faked.

Curious beauty with welcome, intermittent bouts of intensity keep this music moving, but Gille is only one of the four wheels that keep things on track. The other three-fourths of the quartet comes in the form of pianist